Education

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Chicago Botanic Garden
Ph.D. – Tulane University
B.A.   – Connecticut College

Biography

My work uses contemporary genetic and genomic techniques to understand how ecological and evolutionary processes shape patterns of gene flow and genetic diversity in plant populations. Genetic diversity and variation are important for maintaining a species’ evolutionary potential, or their ability to respond to environmental change.

As a molecular ecologist, I explore the intersection of eco-evolutionary processes and implications for conservation. More specifically, I use a conservation lens to understand how habitat fragmentation and loss as well as the climate shape ecological processes and resulting patterns of genetic diversity and gene flow in plant populations.

I explore these processes in the context of the following:

1. Dispersal in fragmented landscapes
2. Responses to climate variation, and
3. Effective management in endangered plant species.

By bridging the gap between ecological factors and their ultimate genetic outcomes, my work advances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying eco-evolutionary dynamics in wild plant populations with important implications for the conservation of threatened and managed plant species.

Courses Taught

Research Interests

Publications

Diaz-Martin Z, De Vitis M, Havens K, Kramer AT, MacKechnie LM, Fant J. (2023). Species-specific effects of production practices on genetic diversity in plant reintroduction programs. Evolutionary Applications. 6(12):1956-1968. doi: 10.1111/eva.13614. PDF

Diaz-Martin Z., Cisternas-Fuentes A., Kay K.M., Raguso R.A., Skogen K., and J.B. Fant. (2023). Reproductive strategies and their consequences for divergence, gene flow, and genetic diversity in three taxa of Clarkia. Heredity. PDF.

Diaz-Martin Z, Fant JB, Havens K, Cinea W, Tucker Lima JM, Griffith MP. (2023). Current management practices do not adequately safeguard endangered plant species in conservation collections. Biological Conservation. 280 (109955). PDF

Diaz-Martin Z, Browne L, Cabrera D**, Olivo J**, Karubian J. (2023). Impacts of flowering density on pollen dispersal and gametic diversity are scale dependent. The American Naturalist. 201(1): 52-63. PDF

Diaz-Martin Z, Karubian J. (2021). Forest cover at landscape scales increases male and female gametic diversity of palm seedlings. Molecular Ecology. 30:4353–4367. PDF